Control of feed-water to water-heaters.



W. B. .D. PONNINGHAUS.

CONTROL OF FEED WATER T0 WATER HEATERS. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 6, 1913.

1,070,912, I Patented Aug. 19, 1913. I Q 55 1 12 UQ 722 07 I mB. D.7%

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ITED STATES PATENT FFIQE.

WILHELM .BAR'IHOLDT DIDRICK PONNINGI-IAUS, OF SOUTH YARRA, PRAHBAN, MEL- BOURNE, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JOHN ALSTON WAL- LACE, OF BOOABULA, WANGANELLA, NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA.

CONTROL OF FEED-WATER TO WATER-HEATERS. I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WVILHELM BARlI-IOLDT DIDRICK PONNINGHAUS, subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at 132 Toorak road, in the post-town of South Yarra, a district of the city of Prahran, a suburb of the city of Melbourne,in the county of Bourke, State of Victoria, Commonwealth of Australia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Control of F eed-VVater to Water-Heaters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to water heaters or boilers and has for its object to provide sim: ple, positive, underangeable means for automatically controlling the admission of water thereto.

The invention is particularly adapted for use with the apparatus disclosed by my prior patent application No. 716,323 filed 21st day of August A. D. 1912 although not limited thereto.

Hitherto numerous devices have been suggested whereby the water level of a heater or boiler may be maintained, the present invention relating to that type wherein a float within the heater is adapted to operate a valve outside of the heater, the said valve cont-rolling the supply of water to the said heater at a point below the level of the float and the valve.

The present invention consists in the use of a self-draining float within the heater for the purpose of operating a valve controlling the water main or supply, which Valve is situated outside of the heater and is uninfluenced by heated water therein. By the invention should the float leak after use it does not become waterlogged and inoperative but drains with each operation. The invention is also cheap of manufacture and may be readily applied to existing heaters.

What are considered features of novelty will be pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings :F igure 1 is a sectional view, on a reduced scale, showing a water heater equipped with this invention. Fig. 2 is a part sectional plan of portion of the invention, portions being broken away for convenience of illustration. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of a spindle. Fig. 4 is a part sectional elevation looking in the direction of the arrow of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a part sec- Specification of Letters Patent. 7

Application filed March 6, 1913.

Patented Aug. 19, 1913. Serial No. 752,466.

attachment having a flange 8 secured by bolts, rivets or the like 9 to the upper end 3 of the shell, opposite the hole formed therein. Protruding from the attachment, through the hole in the shell, is a lug 10 having therein a threaded hole. Formed in the attachment is also a spindle hole adjoining which is a stufiing box 11 having an internal thread. Within the stuffing box is situated a suitable packing 12. lVithin the stuffing box is also a gland l3 having an external thread engaging the stuffing box internal thread before mentioned. Accommodated in the threaded hole of the lug 10 is a retention screw consisting of a head 14 and a threaded shank l5. Protruding from the shank is a coned center 16.

Accommodated in the spindle hole of the attachment and passing through the stuffing box 11 and gland 13 thereof, is a spin die 17 The spindle is provided at one end with a coned recess 18 accommodating the center 16 of the retention screw. Protruding from the spindle is a branch 19 having therein a threaded lever hole 20. Protruding from the spindle adjacent the stuffing box 11 is also a thrust enlargement 21. Formed on the spindle beyond the enlargement 21 are flats 22 forming a square end to the said spindle. Formed through the spindle between the square end thereof and the hole 20 of the branch 19 is an air and draining passage 23. Secured by the flats 22 of the spindle 17 is a valve lever having an upper end 24 and a lower end 25. The upper end of the said lever is rounded. Formed in the lower end thereof is a square hole to accommodate the square end of the spindle 17. WVith the spindle is used a hollow float lever having an inner threaded end 26 and an outer threaded end 27. The inner threaded end 26 is threaded into the hole 20 of the branch 19. Threaded. or otherwise secured to the outer end 27 is a ball float 2S. lVithin and formed through the float lever is an air and draining passage 29. This communicates with the interior of the float 28 and with the passage 23 of the spindle 17.

Secured to the attachment by screws or the like is a bracket 30. Integral with the bracket is a shell having an inner end 31 and an outer end 32. Formed in the inner end 31 is a stufling box 33 having an internal thread. lVithin the shell adjoining the stutting box a valve chamber 3i. Accominodated in the inner end 31 is a gland 35 having an external thread engaging the in ternal thread. of the said inner end. The outer end 32 of the bracket shell is provided with an internal thread. Accommodated in the outer end is a nipple 36 having an inner end 37 provided with an external thread engaging the internal thread of the outer end The outer end 38 of the nipple is provided with an external thread to which may be secured a supply pipe hereinat'ter referred to. Formed through the nipple 3(3 is an inlet hole 39 around the inner extremity of which is a valve seat 40. Secured to the outer end 38 of the nipple, by a union or in any other well known way, is an inlet or supply pipe 4-1. This may comnuinicate with a water main, tank or the like.

Integral with the bracket shell and beneath the same is a depending branch i2 having an internal thread. Threaded to the said branch, or otherwise secured thereto, is a depending delivery pipe having an upper end 43 and a lower end a l. The lower end a l communicates with the lower end 4: of the heater shell 2.

lVithin the valve chamber 3st of the shell is situated a valve consisting of a head d5 having a recess formed in its outer face. Accommodated in the recess is a suitable jointing material 46. Integral with the head a5 is a stem 47 passing through the stulling box 33 and the gland 35. Formed in the stem a rectangular hole 48 accommodating the upper end 2% of the valve lever.

With this invention when the float 28 falls the outer end 27 of the float lever also descends and the spindle 17 is partially rotated. The upper end of the valve lever thereby moves toward the shell 2 carrying with it the valve in the valve chamber 3%. The head 4L5 of the said valve is withdrawn from the valve seat 40 permitting water to pass through the inlet or supply pipe ll down the depending delivery pipe and into the heater shell. at the lower end at thereof. IVhen the water level reaches the float and elevates the same, the operations are reversed the spindle 17 thus causing the valve head 45 to press upon the valve seat l0 cutting ofl' communication with the depend.- ing delivery pipe. Should the float 2S leak after continuous use itis obvious that any water therein, which may be the result of condensation, will drain through the passage 29 of the float lever, and through the passage 23 of the spindle. The float therer'ore can never become inoperative. In addition air is admitted through the said passages and assists in preventing any possibility of collapse of the float owing to steam pressure.

Having now described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. Improvements in the control oi? feed water to water heaters, consisting in the combination with a heater shell. of an attachment having a flange secured to said shell, a lug projecting from said attachment into said shell, a retention screw carried by said lug, a coned center protruding from said screw, a stu'liing box formed in said attachment, a spindle having a coned recess, aocommodating the coned center, said spindle passing through the stulfiug box a thrust enlargement upon said spindle, a valve lever secured to said spindle, a valve controlled by said lever, and a ball float controlling said spindle.

2. Improvements in the control 01": feed water to water heaters, consisting in the combination with a heater shell having a float chamber, of an attachment secured to the exterior of the shell opposite said chamber, a lug projecting from said attachment into said shell, a retention screw carried by said lug, a coned center protruding from said screw, a stutfing box formed in said attachment, a spindle having a coned recess accommodating the coned center said spindle passing through the stu'l'ling box and having an air and draining passage, a thrust enlarge ment upon said spindle, a valve lever secured to said spindle, a valve controlled by said lever, a float lever secured to said spindle, said lever having an air and draining passage therein in communication with the spindle passage, and a ball float accommodated within the float chamber, the interior of the float being in communication. with the air and draining passages.

3. Improvements in the control of feed water to water heaters, consisting in the combination with a heater shell of an attachment having a flange secured to said shell, a lug projecting from said attachment into said shell, a retention screw carried by said lug, a coned center protruding from said screw, a stutling box formed in said. attachment, a spindle having a coned recess acc mmodating the coned center said spindle passing through the stntting box, a thrust enlargement upon said spindle, a valve lever 'secured to said spindle, a float lever secured to said spindle, a ball float secured to the float lever, a bracket secured to said attachment, a shell integral with said bracket, a stuffing box formed in said shell, a nipple having an inlet hole therein carried by said shell, a valve seat around said hole, a valve within the shell between the stufling box and the valve seat, a head upon said valve, a stem integral with said head and passing through the stuffing box, said stem engaging the valve lever, a supply pipe communicating with the nipple and a delivery pipe depending from the shell between the valve seat and the stufling box.

4. Improvements in the control of feed water to water heaters consisting in the combination with a heater shell having a float chamber at its upper end, of an attachment having a flange secured to said shell opposite said float chamber, a lug projecting from said attachment into said shell, a retention screw carried by said lug, a coned center protruding from said screw a stufiing box formed in said attachment, a spindle having a coned recess accommodating the coned center, said spindle having an air and drain ing passage therein, a thrust enlargement upon said spindle, a valve lever secured to said spindle a float lever secured to said spindle, said float lever having an air and draining passage therein, a ball float secured to the float lever and accommodated in the float chamber, a bracket secured to said attachment, a shell integral with said bracket a stuffing box at one end of the shell, a nipple having an inlet hole therein at the other end of the shell, a valve seat around said hole, a valve within the shell, between the stuifing box and the valve seat, a head upon said valve stem integral with said head and passing through the stufling box, said stem engaglng the valve lever, a supply pipe communicating with the nipple, and a delivery pipe depending from the shell between the valve seat and the st-ufling box and communicating with the heater shell at the lower end thereof.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed by signature in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILHELM BARTHOLDT DIDRICK PONNINGHAUS.

WVitnesses CECIL MCILASTRIER, ALAN MCEACHEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

